Chelsea Pensioners and Militia Records, and Merchant Seamen Records, held at The (UK) National Archives will be scanned by FindMyPast, indexed and transcribed by FamilySearch. Presumably the index will be available freely, but following the link to the original images will cost.

What's this preoccupation that McKinstry has with rodents? "Scurrying about"; "ferreting through"; "beavering away" demeans the endeavours of large numbers of people, not to mention those who find family history fascinating as evidenced by the viewer numbers for Who Do You Think You Are?

McKinstry saying that the family history boom has not led to a greater understanding of our nation's past does not make it so. Open the pages of the newsstand genealogy magazines he refers to and you will find not only articles on how to research your origins but also much social history, It's so common that genealogists have a cliché for it -- putting flesh on the bones.

McKinstry should learn to check his elitism at the doors of a public institution he chooses to frequent. Who established him as judge? Those whose "busy presence" so offends him have just as much right to use the facility for what they judge to be a worthwhile purpose.